Report: Diamondbacks most persistent in pursuit of Machado

The Baltimore Orioles have yet to trade Manny Machado and may not do so, but one team that is persistently inquiring about him is the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a report.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Thursday evening that Arizona continues to engaged Baltimore about trade talks for Machado, though nothing appears close. Rosenthal characterized Arizona as the most persistent among the interested teams.

There are plenty of reasons why Machado would make sense for Arizona. The D-backs are coming off a playoff appearance and may feel there is an opportunity to capitalize on with the Dodgers trying to keep their payroll down in 2018. They also have a few players set to be free agents after the season and might want to make a push in 2018 before potentially losing guys like A.J. Pollock and Patrick Corbin.

Even though they would have to surrender prospects for Machado, they would stand a chance at recouping some value. If they fall out of contention early, they could deal him at the deadline. If they keep him for the season, they could receive a compensatory pick after he turns down a qualifying offer.